01/23/2024 Bikepacking The Ivory Coast Day 168 : Ameen

by Brian · Published January 24, 2024 · Updated March 3, 2024

A few of you know that I’ve been in weekly contact with the vet in Guelmim ( ). Shortly after my departure from Morocco, I wrote him my condolences: His father-in-law had passed during a surgery.

“No problem dear 😊 . We will dead all, so our faith is more strong. Thank you. Amine,” he replied to my message.

I wrote back: “Oh, I’m sorry! I thought your name was ‘Anas,’ not ‘Amine.’ Sorry I have been spelling it wrong.”

“No, we say Amine* at the end of praying,” he explained.

*****

On January 12th, Anas send me an update video of the 4 remaining puppies, “Look, they have a new friend!” Another found puppy had been delivered to the vet. They were 5 again. I’ve been trying to keep the original post updated with the videos as they arrive. To me, this is “unfinished business,” because ultimately, these puppies need to find a home where they can be loved.

My friend David Ludwigson and I have been in touch, and he has spearheaded a couple attempts at making this happen.

*******

Life has its unpredictable ways, though, and sometimes to save a life, another life must be lost.

This afternoon, my sister Michele wrote me, “I got an update on the puppies and wanted to know if you got one too.”

“Is it good?” I asked.

“No.”

At that moment, I pushed the “call” button.

It looks like the “new friend” happened to be bearing a Trojan horse: Parvovirus. I’ll never understand the timing of these events, but the “friend” arrived on January 12th, and the puppies were scheduled to get their vaccines on January 15th. It’s not like the vet was delinquent in doing the vaccinations; they need to be a certain age before they can get vaccinated. Of course, by then, it was too late.

By yesterday, 3 more of the puppies had died from Parvo, leaving one of the original 5.

******

My sister Michele is much more knowledgeable about these things than me. Not only is she a dog lover, but she has also worked as a veterinary assistant.

She explained to me that Parvo is the number one killer of dogs; it can be treated if it is detected early. Dogs are vaccinated for Parvo more than once throughout their lives. She acknowledged that in the US, there may be more resources to recognize, treat, and prevent the disease than in a developing country.

I was a little surprised that this didn’t make me as sad as I would have expected. Instead, I just felt a certain hollowness. But like the little glowing grain of sand at the end of “The Neverending Story,” there is still a little hope.

Michele confided, “When they were 5, I was thinking I could adopt them… but I can’t handle 5 dogs. Now that it is just one, I’ve been thinking about it.”

She dug deeper into the research, and wrote: “A dog must be vaccinated against Rabies to come to USA. They usually vaccinate for that at 6 months [age]. CDC won't allow dog in until July 31, 2024 because he is coming from high risk country for Rabies. Could be vaccinated against Rabies at 4 months…”

I told her I’d buy a plane ticket for the last puppy; I think he has a better chance with her than he does in Morocco.

So, as of today, that is where we are on the “puppy project.” She needs to decide if she really wants a new dog, and we need to figure out how to make the transport happen.

Amine, little lost puppies 🙏

*I looked up “amine,” and I think the correct spelling is actually “Ameen” like “Amen” in English.

Photos:

Morning ride through the cashew groves where I camped. By night, people leave the agricultural areas, giving me about 14 hours of camp time before they return. —

In this part of Ivory Coast, people are always busy collecting wood. —

It felt weird, but I had to come back and ask for this photo. 3 women were taking turns felling this enormous (dead, I think) tree. I’m not sure what the plan was for it’s trajectory… but I am guessing they had experience. It appears that women do the majority of physical labor here. Last night, I gained a new appreciation for their strength. I had to move ONE of the logs for my campsite. It was heavy! Usually, I’ll see women walking down the road with DOZENS of these logs balanced on their heads. —

The other activities women are always busy with is pounding food into a mash. Lots of dietary options, such as cassava are pretty fibrous and need processing to make them more palatable. Not to throw the men under the bus here, but they can be found more frequently watching TV or drinking tea. It’s not to say men don’t work; it just seems like the women may be pulling more weight. —

This journey isn’t about the difficulty, but it bears mentioning that 70 miles of this surface in 107F temperatures (120F in the sun)…. is… draining. Mid-day today , I felt like I was really tapping into my physical reserves. Sleep has been good with amazing campsites, but the atrocious diet, massive blood sugar swings, and having to push through dust and constantly avoid wiping out in this deep dust is taking a bit of a toll on me. Today would be nearly 100% this powdered cake mix surface. —

A new (and working) style of well. Inscribed on the concrete was the year 1994. —

Today’s route would take me into a part of Ivory Coast where people regarded me with suspicious looks. Some people ran away from me. Very few speak French (and no English). I know I had commended the “upgraded” standard of living, but out here, if anything, it is the same or even lower than what I observed in Guinea. I took this photo, though, because I wondered what that was in the distance (my camera is like a slight telescope). Turns out it was kids walking back from school, so I decided to post it, even though the original intention was just to see further. —

Another great campsite. Sleep score 97. The highest of the journey!

Strava Comments:

Janet W.

I feel sad about the puppies too. I’m glad you and Michele are in touch with the vet. Did the puppy already get his rabies vaccination or was the vac on the 15th for something else? Did you see the email from Julie and Stan? Julie read about the rules, the same thing Michele read. I read the CDC link. A microchip is also needed to travel, but no other vaccines besides rabies. It seems like the vet would have to help to make the travel arrangements. Sad, but there is hope!

Braden L.

Brian, I’m not set up on Venmo or any other online payment service similar. My wife is and my intention was to get her help when you first found the pups. She worked a 3 day stretch and we barely crossed paths. Sorry no payment was sent! My once in a lifetime, best dog ever came from Baja and if your sister decides she can take on the pup I would like to help with the flight cost. Please keep me posted…

Stan H.

I’m bummed to hear about the puppies. But thanks to your efforts they had a couple of months with each other, playing and sleeping together in safety, with full bellies, that they wouldn’t have had if left to die in the desert.

Ann L.

Sad new about the puppies. I hope the last one stays healthy and your sister is able to get it. It would be nice after all your efforts. That parvovirus sounds like COVID to humans when it first came out. Sounds like the women do work hard there and are very strong! Wow that dusty road and the heat must be very wearing on you. Glad your campsites seem to rejuvenate you and you are sleeping well. I’m sure that helps.

Carol D.

Sad story for the puppies. Parvovirus strikes hard here in the US in dog shelters for the unvaccinated. It would be great if the surviving pup could travel here if your kind sister could take it.

David L.

So sorry to hear. Well, the four puppies had interesting if short lives and didn't die abandoned. And they were loved by a lot of people even if from afar.

Nancy P.

Love David Ludwigson ‘s comment. Normal protocols for a puppy of unknown vaccine status would be to isolate them for six weeks. They probably don’t have the facility to do that but that’s also what would happen, I assume, if/when the remaining pup “comes home”. Sad for this news but hopeful

Nancy P.

Thank you for the African cow 🐮 photo even tho it looks like his nose might hurt 😔

J&K S.

Here's an article with a picture of the President of Ivory Coast. Normally, I'd just skim this story for about 15 seconds, but thanks to your posts, I'm now a semi-sophisticated consumer of Ivory Coast news!

Mark G.

So Happy to hear of the top notch sleep score.

Brian L.

Thanks, David Ludwigson for your comment. Also, my sister isn’t going to take the last puppy. Here is what my sister knows about the remaining dog: “She is not a Basenji. She is a Moroccan Shepherd and Beldi. A Beldi is a mixed dog of different breeds but you don't know what exactly. She is basically a Moroccan dog mutt.” My sales pitch is this: I’ll pay up to $1000 for transport of the dog to a loving home. She will be vaccinated for rabies, and she is a Parvo survivor. I’ll post a video of her in case anyone is considering adopting. She could be adopted in Morocco, which would be great - but I think she has a better chance in the US.